Mammoth Cave

Last Updated on December 18, 2023 by Ranchers

Introduction

Located midway between Louisville and Nashville, Mammoth Cave National Park is the worlds longest known cave system. It is a great area for camping, hiking, biking and kayaking with over 52,000 acres to explore above ground, but you’re obviously here for the cave and it does not disappoint.

Although nearly 400 miles of the cave system have been mapped, the full extent of the cave system has yet to be discovered. Only about five percent of that area is available for public tours. The tours last between two and four hours and require significant walking and standing with no rest. Regardless of the tour you take, you will see plenty, and the Rangers do a great job of immersing you in the culture, history, geology and ecology of the cave.

Mammoth Cave National Park Quick Facts

Fees
Entrance Pass – Free
Cave Tour Reservations are required to explore the cave.
Tours lengths vary from thirty minutes to over four hours and costs range from $8 to $35. Your America the Beautiful Pass (any version) DOES NOT cover the cost of any of these tours.

Operating Hours
Mammoth Cave area is open to discovery 24/7 above ground
Cave Tour times and availability vary significantly depending on the season.
All tour reservations should be made through Recreation.gov

Closest Towns
Park City, KY – 9 miles
Louisville, KY – 93 miles
Nashville, TN – 94 miles
Boston, MA – 1,074 miles

Annual Visitors
Over 500,000 per year

Founded
July 1, 1941
(Five months before we entered WWII)

How long should I stay?
We would recommend at least two days to give yourself the opportunity too take at least two different tours. Spreading the tours over two days will also allow some time to do some exploring above ground as well. There are about 20 miles of hiking trails easily accessible from the visitors center and plenty of miles of both paved and off road bicycle trails.

If the water levels are not too high (like they were when we visited) the Green River flows through 25 miles of the park offering a wealth of opportunities for fishing or kayaking on flat water. There is a service that will drop you at the northern side of the park, pick you up at the southern side and return you home if you are a kayaker.

I borrowed this picture from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet because it does a great job explaining exactly how Mammoth Cave was formed. Unlike Carlsbad Caverns, for example, which was created by rainwater and hydrogen-sulfide rich groundwater mixing to make sulfuric acid to literally eat away the ground underneath, Mammoth Cave is a karst landscape. These landscapes are formed when bedrock is comprised predominantly of limestone, dolomite, or gypsum and relies principally on the ability of water to find any available gap. Water finds it’s way to the soft bedrock and begins to slowly erode it. Eventually the tiny gap erodes into a larger space and that space in turn become a stream and then a river. This is how most caves and caverns are formed.

I give you these nerdy details so I have a reason to share a little anecdote about karst. One day while Angela and I were walking around the campground, she commented that a particularly large area of the campground was undeveloped. We carried on without much further thought until later in the day when we had a chance to talk to one of the campground staff. In and among other things, at some point I asked if they any plans to develop the large vacant spot in the middle of the campground. He said ‘Oh no, that used to be a pond. Woke up one day and all the water drained out of it. Can’t do nothing with it now.’

The Cave Tours

Entrance to any of the Mammoth Cave tours requires a reservation. Our experience would be to book the tour as far out as possible. Our visit was during early summer and almost every tour was sold out two weeks in advance.

Did You Know?
White-nose Syndrome is a fungal disease killing millions of bats in North America and first found at Mammoth Cave in 2012. 
Mammoth Cave is home to thirteen species of bats, three of them are on the endangered species list.
To do your part in stemming the spread of WNS, you will be required to walk through a decontamination station for your shoes.

There are tours for every ability level and each tour offers something unique for the visitor. I highly recommend you carefully read each of the tour descriptions before deciding – especially the duration. Many of the tours also contain portions of other tours and you will likely not not to pay for the same portion of a tour twice. There are a lot, so deal with your first world problems and focus for a solid twenty minutes, you won’t regret it.
Not every tour is offered year round, so again, be sure to check both the NPS website and Recreation.gov for the most accurate information. The following excerpts are taken from the NPS Plan Your Visit page and is for basic information purposes.

Mammoth Passage

An introductory tour into the Historic Entrance. Includes part of the Historic Tour and all of the Discovery Tour routes.
Duration: 1.25 hours
Distance: 0.75 miles (1.2 km)
Total Stairs: 135
Difficulty: Easy

Discovery Tour (Self-Guided)

This is a self guided version of the Mammoth Passage tour.
Duration: 0.5 hours
Distance: 0.75 miles (1.2 km)
Total Stairs: 135
Difficulty: Easy

Accessible Tour ♿

From the Elevator Entrance, this tour emerges near the famous Snowball Room and continues through historic Cleaveland Avenue.
Duration: 2 hours
Distance: 0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Total Stairs: No stairs
Difficulty: Easy

Gothic Avenue Tour

This tour focuses on 1800s tourism and uses of Mammoth Cave. Portions of this tour are also seen on the Star Chamber, Historic and Violet City Lantern Tours.
Duration: 2 hours
Distance: 1 miles (1.6 km)
Total Stairs: 170
Difficulty: Moderate

Historic Tour

This classic Mammoth Cave Tour visits many of the historic areas that originally made Mammoth Cave famous. Portions of this tour are also seen on the Violet City Lantern, Star Chamber and Gothic Avenue Tours. It is seen in its entirety on the River Styx Tour.
Duration: 2 hours
Distance: 2 miles (3.2 km)
Total Stairs: 540, including 155 at Mammoth Dome
Difficulty: Moderate

Wondering Woods Tour

After a short bus ride, enjoy a hike in the Tranquil Valley of Wondering Woods.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Distance: 1 miles (1.6 km)
Total Stairs: 194 includes 54 being optional
Difficulty: Moderate

Cleaveland Avenue Tour

This tour is ideal for people looking for a unique part of Mammoth Cave and an interest in geology and history. 
Duration: 2 hours – (2½ hours if the elevator is unavailable)
Distance: 1 miles (1.6 km) – (2 miles (3.2 km) if the elevator is unavailable)
Total Stairs: 231 – (462 if the elevator is unavailable)
Difficulty: Moderate

Grand Historic Tour

Visit some of the cave’s most iconic landmarks such as Giant’s Coffin, Bottomless Pit, Tuberculosis Huts, River Styx, and Mammoth Dome. Includes all of the Historic, Extended Historic, Gothic Ave., Star Chamber, River Styx and parts of the Discovery, Mammoth Passage and Violet City Tour routes.
Duration: 4 hours
Distance: 4 miles (3.2 km)
Total Stairs: 640, including 155 at Mammoth Dome
Difficulty: Difficult

Great Onyx Lantern Tour

Visitors on this tour can see many stalactites, stalagmites, gypsum crystals, and helictites. This tour is in Great Onyx Cave, which is separate from Mammoth Cave.  
Duration: 2.25 hours
Distance: 1 miles (1.6 km)
Total Stairs: 82
Difficulty: Moderate

Extended Historic Tour

Enjoy this Historic Tour with a bonus side trip to one of the sites of the famous 1840s Mammoth Cave experiment to treat consumption. Portions of this tour are also seen on the Violet City Lantern, Star Chamber and Gothic Avenue Tours.
Duration: 2.25 hours
Distance: 2 miles (3.2 km)
Total Stairs: 540, including 155 at Mammoth Dome
Difficulty: Moderate

Violet City Lantern Tour

This tour travels exclusively by lantern light. Portions of this tour are also seen on the Historic, River Styx and Mammoth Passage Tours. Be prepared, the rugged nature of this tour possesses steep hills, low lighting, uneven terrain and no handrail or electric lighting infrastructure.
Duration: 3 hours
Distance: 3 miles (4.8 km)
Total Stairs: 200 and numerous hills with no handrails.
Difficulty: Difficult

River Styx Cave Tour

This tour focuses on the unique geologic and natural history of Mammoth Cave. This tour covers the entire Historic Tour route. Limited sections of the Star Chamber, Violet City Lantern and Mammoth Passage are also seen.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Distance: 2.5 miles (4 km)
Total Stairs: Approximately 600, including 155 at Mammoth Dome.
Difficulty: Moderate

Star Chamber Lantern Tour

An evening tour in Mammoth Cave by lantern light. Portions of this tour are also seen on the Historic, River Styx and Gothic Avenue Tours. Only visitors age 16 and over may carry lanterns. To preserve the nostalgic atmosphere of the activity, there is no flashlight use permitted on this tour.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Distance: 2 miles (3.2 km)
Total Stairs: 170
Difficulty: Moderate

Domes & Dripstones Tour

This tour begins in a sinkhole, passes through huge domes, amazing breakdown, and ends in the dripstone section known as Frozen Niagara. This tour includes the entire Frozen Niagara Tour route and a small portion of the Grand Avenue Tour route.
Duration: 2 hours
Distance: 0.75 miles (1.2 km)
Total Stairs: 640 , including 280 on the initial staircase descent and an optional 96
Difficulty: Difficult

Frozen Niagara Tour

The naturally decorated Frozen Niagara section remains one of the most famous at Mammoth Cave. This section of cave is seen in its entirety on the Domes and Dripstones, Grand Avenue, Introduction to Caving and Wild Cave Tours.
Duration: 1.25 hours
Distance: 0.25 miles (0.4 km)
Total Stairs: 64, plus an optional 98
Difficulty: Easy

Grand Avenue Tour

This lengthy tour explores the geologic diversity of what Mammoth Cave has to offer going through slot canyons, tubular passageways, tall canyons, and tunnels sparkled with gypsum. This tour includes the entire Frozen Niagara Tour route and all of the Domes and Dripstones Tour.
Duration: 4 hours
Distance: 4 miles (6.4 km)
Total Stairs: 1521 plus an optional 96
Difficulty: Strenuous

Wild Cave Tour

The most extreme tour offered at Mammoth Cave, this crawling tour is an all-day adventure underground. This tour is very physically demanding. 
Duration: 6 hours
Distance: 5 1/2 miles
Difficulty: Extremely Difficult

Introduction to Caving

This tour crawls and climbs through hard-to-reach areas for 3.5 hours. Focusing on learning safe caving techniques, this tour explores parts of the cave difficult to access.
Duration: 3.5 hours
Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Difficult

Our Tours

The biggest takeaway I had from these tours was how dry it was inside. Unlike every other cave we have toured, this one had a notable absence of stalagmites and stalactites, or frankly any of the other funky formations we have come to expect from a cave. Instead, this almost felt like touring an unfinished subway tunnel. The impression of a tunnel was further influenced by all of the soot graffiti on the ceilings and walls.

Apparently, before the park service learned about conservation, tour guides would charge a nickel to allow guests to place their initials on the roof. When soot graffiti fell out of favor, rock cairns were suggested as an alternative, and, to me, they created some of the most interesting formations of the entire tour.

Tour Preparation

Before jumping into the tours we experienced, a few common sense items to make your tour more enjoyable.

If you experience any of the following, seriously consider taking one of the “Easy’ tours, or speaking with a Park Ranger before you purchase your tickets:

• Claustrophobia
• Fear of Heights
• Difficulty with Stairs – you must be able to climb stairs, possibly a lot
• Difficulty squatting or duck-walking
• Are you comfortably able to walk the described tour length without significant rest

The Ranger will tell you during your pre-tour briefing you must be in relatively good health, as any sort of rescue could take hours. Set your expectations early. In our experience, the tour difficulty rating is roughly based on a middle aged person in reasonably good shape – you need to determine where you fall in comparison to that metric.
Dress in layers – The temperature generally sits at 55F, so a light jacket is probably sufficient.
Wear appropriate shoes – Unless you are actually on one of the spelunking tours, you don’t need ankle high boots, but the ground is uneven. A good tennis shoe or trail runner is more than sufficient. You will need to run your feet through a disinfectant to help contain the spread of white nose syndrome in bats, so if you have a problem getting your shoes wet, find a different pair.
Consider Water – Only water is allowed on the tours and while not a necessity, you may feel the urge to quench your thirst on the longer tours.
Learn how to use your camera – You are in a cave with relatively low lighting. If you want your pictures to be crisp, learn how to maximize your camera’s low light settings. Automatic settings may not be enough to get the picture you really want.

Cleaveland Avenue

The Cleaveland Avenue Tour requires a short bus trip to the entrance, and then working your way down 231 stairs. Not to worry, the tour ends at an elevator. Unless, of course, the elevator isn’t working and then you get to do the entire Cleaveland Avenue tour in reverse and climb those 231 stairs out.

As you will discover on this tour, part of the reason Mammoth Cave so closely resembles a tunnel and not a cave is due to the extensive mining operations that occurred in the early 1800’s, particularly during the War of 1812. These caves were rich in saltpetre, a principal ingredient in gunpowder.

The end of the war also meant the end of saltpeter mining. The caves quickly transitioned to tourism, and many of the same slaves who had labored in the mines were now the preeminent tour guides. Blazing underground trails, these African Americans are largely responsible for the continued exploration and tourism attraction Mammoth Cave is today.

One particular slave, Steven Bishop, began providing tours in 1838. He quickly became almost as popular as the caves themselves, often personally requested by academics and tourists alike. He eventually gained his freedom, but stayed on as a paid tour guide. After he successfully crossed an area known as the Bottomless Pit, many more miles of the cave became accessible for tours. Which brings us to the next tour we took…..

Grand Historic Tour

The Grand Historic Tour, not to be confused with the Grand Avenue Tour, probably gives you the biggest bang for your buck since it includes the entirety of five of the other tours. You definitely want to prepare yourself in advance since it is four hours underground even if only a four mile tour.

I can not understate how impressed I was with our tour guide. While he may not have talked the entirety of the tour, it was definitely close enough for government work. This tour also covers many of the geologic and historic highlights such as Giant’s Coffin, Bottomless Pit, River Styx, Mammoth Dome, and the Tuberculosis Huts.

The huts are brilliant if for no other reason than people were convinced to live completely underground in an effort to cure, or at least arrest, their tuberculosis. Now given the grim alternative was certain death, maybe it wasn’t such a hard sell.

I particularly enjoyed the Star Chamber and it is no surprise it was a popular venue for late 19th century tourists. The cavern is huge and contains spots in the roof where previous tourists threw rocks at the ceiling, knocking away soot and exposing the gypsum underneath. The overall effect creates the illusion you are outside gazing at the night sky when in reality you are 186 feet beneath the surface.
I also really enjoyed the naming conventions of the formations probably more than the formations themselves. With a strong focus on the occult and demons, it just goes to show marketing was alive and well even in the 1800’s.

Hiking

Although there are many. many miles of trails above ground throughout the park, trails in the immediate vicinity of the Welcome Center are limited. Luckily, they are all interconnected, allowing for a pretty decent hike if you want it. Be sure to visit the Old Guides Cemetery, holding the remains of Steven Bishop. His final resting spot would have been as unmarked and unremarkable as the rest of the headstones in the cemetery if not for a man from Pittsburgh named James R. Mellon. Decades after Bishop was buried in an unmarked grave, Mellon purchased the headstone still visible today to commemorate one of the most famous guides in the history of the park.

Always Remember the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace

Plan Ahead and Prepare, Stay on Designated Trails, Dispose of Waste Properly, Don’t Take Anything You Didn’t Bring with You, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife, Be Considerate of Other Visitors